This time of year there are lots of suggestions in the press about books to buy. The best books of the year are listed and reviewed.

If Stalker was to pick one from the bunch, it might have to be The Man Who Died. It is by Finnish author Antti Tuomainen and would be found in the crime thriller/ Nordic noir genre. It is the story of 37 year old Jaakko Kaunismaa who, having been informed by his doctor he is being slowly poisoned, is likely to die in the next few weeks.

He decides to spend the time he has remaining trying to find out who would poison him. Is it his wife, or her lover? Or maybe his new competitors in the wild mushroom business who are trying to poach his staff and Japaneses clients.